harriet

I think by summer it's going to be cheaper to ride to town than drive. Gee Whiz. Does anyone know of a fuel efficient truck? My Dodge ram is getting too expensive for me. Maybe I'll get rid of the truck and just keep the horse!

purplefdu

They have hybrid trucks, the Chevy Silverado is the one that comes to mind, but there are hybrid SUVs as well. Depending on how heavy your horse is and what type of trailer you might well be able to pull one of the uberlight trailers with a hybrid SUV.

mustangsally

The price of gas went up by 40 cents just this week in my area. It's absolutely ridiculous. They're predicting over $4 per gallon by summer. I don't know if that's everywhere or just my area (we are a high tourist area due to the beaches).

Equineimity

The problem with hybrid trucks of course is that they don't have the same power as a none hybrid has. That won't always be the case, and in fact they are improving every year so keep looking.

But I like your idea-just ride to the shop.

Flicka

It's getting to be a hard nut to swallow, the price at the pump. And I know it's only going to get worse this summer - gas always goes up at summertime. I'll be riding down the street pretty soon too!!!

CityChick

In Montreal the gas is a whole lot more expensive than it is in the states. Believe me we are really feeling the crunch. I have a subcompact and I feel like I'm spending all my fun money on that stupid thing.

flatback_frannie

I am so annoyed about fuel costs everytime I think of it! Terribly expensive. At other time in our history the government has suspended taxes on gasoline to bring the cost down a bit when it get so high. Not this government, though. No motivation when it's going to the VPs pocket.

countrygirl

Wow, how did this discussion turn to politics?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. It will be tough to find the kind of fuel efficient truck you need to haul your horse in a horse trailer. As others have suggested over time there will hopefully be a hybrid alternative capable of doing what you need. Until then, you really may want to start using the horse to get around.

alexis

I think my husband would freak out if I told him to leave the car and get a horse to ride to work each day. He travels a good 70 miles back and forth M-F.

OldnGrey

With these ridiculous prices at the pump, I think you are going to have to get rid of that Ram sooner than later. The hybrid is definitely a good consideration and the longer you can wait maybe the better, not in terms of saving at the pump, but in getting a better balance between power and efficiency.

Equineimity

Unfortunately with the hybrids, the initial cost of the car is so high that it off sets the savings on fuel costs. You would have to maintain the car an awfully long time and keep it running longer than most do to actually make a saving over all.

harriet

From what I've heard though, is that the electrical component of the hybrid car has few parts that take a very long time to wear out. So in essence, the gas components only have to work half as hard to do the same effect. That would mean the car could last twice as long.

Roy Rogers

You know, it is funny to see this topic come up when I was only just thinking about it the other night!

With the price of gas like it is, i'm thinking we'll see some people going back to using horses or possibly a bike.

And besides, riding a horse doesn't cause pollution like a car does!